Green Lady
by Quicksilver
Summary: A study of the one and only Esmeraude... and her dreams and fears.


Quicksilver's Quill Offers  
Green Lady  
mbsilvana@yahoo.com  
standard disclaimers  
  
There was just something about her.  
Perhaps it was her eyes- they were a soft brown, and   
looked like liquid chocolate. Maybe it was her hair- it was a   
vibrant green, and looked as though it contained the color of   
Terra's healthiest ivy, and flowed freely with a life of its   
own. Then again, it could be her body- and what a body she had.   
Curved in the right place, and toned all over, she chose to   
enhance it with tight clothing and boots that made her already   
impressive inches stand out even more.  
But to speak the truth, that wasn't what it really was.   
It was her laugh- the thing about her... a rippling cackle that   
sent shivers down the spines of her friends (not that she really   
had any) and enemies alike. It was unique to her, and repulsive   
as that laugh was, it had an odd effect on people. They'd turn   
and stare, yet they were entranced in spite of themselves. And   
the fan certainly didn't hurt either.  
That women happened to be named Esmeraude- like all   
members of the royal family (distant though she might be) she   
bore the name of a precious gem. And at that moment, she was   
sleeping.  
Most people never thought of the Black Moon Family   
resting. They were just too much, full of energy, full of   
vengeance. But though their bodies had high constitutions, even   
they must rest. She slept on black satin sheets, how cliché,   
yet how fitting. In sleep most appear innocent, but not the   
children of Nemesis. When they slept, the barriers they put up   
as protection came down, and all one could see was how very old   
they were. Esmeraude looked sad in her sleep, and the way her   
legs and arms twitched beneath the thick comforter showed she   
was having some kind of dream- and that it wasn't a pleasant   
one....  
  
She slammed Rubeus' hand away, then fluttered her fan to   
try to deal with the heat. It was so terribly hot. How could   
Rubeus ever be such an idiot and get himself into such a mess in   
the first place? she wondered, then crushed the thought. If he   
hadn't been, then she would never had had this chance. Now SHE   
was the First General of the Army of Nemesis, and well on her   
way to finally winning Demando's regards.   
Still, as she teleported away from the doomed ship, she   
felt a tinge of something-- it couldn't possibly be regret. She   
didn't feel regret- hadn't since she had helped Demando assume   
the throne after the premature death of his father, Onyx. He   
had been Heir then, and only her support, along with that of   
Rubeus and Saffir, had kept him alive long enough to consolidate   
power enough to keep that position. She and Rubeus had never   
liked each other much, so she couldn't be feeling regret. It   
just couldn't be that...  
She almost thought she could hear Rubeus' screams of   
denial.   
There's a certain threshold a person enters when falling   
asleep- the point between waking and sleeping, when all the   
senses become heightened to the point of needle-sharp   
sensitivity. And at that point, she would forever after relive   
that moment, hear Rubeus' screams ring in her ears, feel the   
flames burn her pale skin the same way they must have consumed   
him. The pain was so intense, with fire licking at her from all   
sides. Then she would remember that she had escaped, that   
Rubeus had been the one who had died, and plummet into a   
restless slumber, forever falling.  
God, she hated that. Heights always made her nauseous,   
though she hid it well. Sometimes, though, she would get the   
most terrible feeling of vertigo, like she couldn't tell up from   
down, and that she was falling. Oh, how she hated that   
sensation. The only thing worse was the sensation that she got   
whenever Demando thought of the Neo-Bitch Serenity. And   
Esmeraude could always tell when her Prince was thinking of her.  
Saffir sat behind his computer, looking up at her with   
those blue blue eyes of his. He was attractive-- all the   
members of the family were. Some might even be tempted to call   
him beautiful. All the men of the Family were that, too--   
Rubeus looked like fire itself, while Demando held the   
changeless beauty of his namesake. But Saffir was a totally   
different case; he was mysterious and watchful, and Esmeraude   
hated dealing with him.  
She walked into the room, the heels of her boots clicking   
with a confidence she didn't feel. It was like bearding a lion   
in his den, coming to visit Saffir in his study. Those damn   
eyes of his just seemed to cut right through her, making a   
mockery of everything she stood for. Instead of concentrating   
on her, his fingers continued to type out patterns into the   
keyboard and other pads he had lying around on his desk.   
Probably trying to come up with another way to conquer Crystal   
Tokyo without getting messed up in the twentieth century, she   
thought cynically.  
His desk was sickeningly well organized. He was so anal   
compulsive about it that she was sometimes tempted to sneak in   
when he wasn't around and move things around, just to piss him   
off. Then again, he probably wouldn't notice. He was too   
wrapped up in his world of tactics.  
"What do you want, Esmeraude-chan?" he asked lightly,   
still pounding at his keyboard with nimble fingers.  
The 'chan' he had attached to her name always sent her   
right near the edge, but she retaliated in kind. They used to   
play this game much more often when they were younger, but the   
fourteen year old Saffir had finally abandoned the practice   
after being accused by Rubeus of having a secret crush on his   
older cousin. The look of revulsion on Saffir's face had kept   
Rubeus laughing for weeks. Esmeraude, though, had fumed for   
other reasons. It wasn't that she liked the little bookworm;   
hardly that. It was the fact that he didn't have the good taste   
to recognize her beauty. "I need you to make something for me,   
Saffir-kun," she purred, then let out one of her laughs.  
He cringed slightly at the sound. "I don't do love   
potions, no matter what you might think," he said.  
She fluttered her fan, then swung it towards him using   
only two fingers. The move was elegant and smooth, and she was   
glad she took the time to practice it. She spent a lot of time   
making sure her hair and fan would perform the way she wanted   
them to. It was hard being the most beautiful woman in the   
galaxy. "Oh? I thought you did. Then how do you get Petz, I   
wonder?" Saffir just glared and she knew she had scored a   
point. "Anyway, that's not what I need."  
"Really," he said in a dead voice. "I don't feel like   
mixing up any make-up products for you, so do us both a favor   
and leave."  
That one stung. Just because she hadn't been able to get   
the right shade of red that one time, he hadn't let her forget.   
Still, the lipstick had been worth asking for his help. "Oh,   
no, cousin mine," she said, coming closer to him. She watched   
him tense, knowing that he hated having his personal space   
invaded. And if Saffir had anything, it was a large definition   
of what he considered to be personal space, especially where she   
was concerned. Like half a planet worth of space. "I'm here on   
business."  
That got him interested. He hadn't been particularly   
fond of Rubeus (their feuding had been legendary- much worse   
then the sparring he and Esmeraude conducted), and hadn't really   
gone out of his way to aid the fiery General in his attempts to   
conquer the Tokyo of the past, aside from making the droidos   
which he had given to the Ayakashi sisters. Rubeus had   
returned the favor by ignoring Demando's favored ototochan.   
"I'm listening," he said, saving his work and turning away from   
his machinery. He leaned forward and rested his chin on his   
left palm.  
Esmeraude knew that this was a wonderful chance. Saffir   
was wonderfully brilliant, and was more then capable of   
listening to her and working on his project at the same time.   
But he put it aside to listen to her more carefully. She felt   
herself soften, seeing a glint of the quiet child she had met so   
many years ago in the library.  
Squashing down the unexpected nostalgia, she laughed.   
"Rubeus was an idiot. Rather then try to conquer the Crystal   
Points, we can weaken Crystal Tokyo in a much easier way." With   
a laugh, she explained her plan for wedges of dark power.  
Saffir considered her plan carefully. "It just might   
work," he said, sounding surprised. "What do you want me to   
do?"  
Her smile turned coy. "I thought that was obvious. I   
need you to make the wedges."  
Saffir sighed, then leaned back in his chair, an amused   
expression on his face. "In other words, do all the hard work   
for you. You don't change, Esmeraude-san," he said.   
"There's no need to improve on perfection," she replied   
matter-of-factly.  
Saffir rolled his eyes. "Whatever. But I have a price   
to ask of you first."  
She flared, collapsing her fan. "I could have my Demando-  
sama order you!" she declared.  
"My oniisan wouldn't order me to do anything, you know   
that as well as I. If I refuse, you're out of luck, since he'll   
assume I have some good reason."  
Damn, the little baka was right. Demando was amazingly   
blind to his little brother at times. Sometimes she thought   
Demando still thought of Saffir as that seven year old who had   
fallen hopelessly in love with his idol, his older brother.   
"What do you want?" Esmeraude seethed.  
"I want to know why," he stated simply.  
All expression dropped off her face, and she looked   
younger then her twenty-eight years. "Why what?" she whispered.  
"Why do you serve him so loyally? Why do you love him so   
much? He loves the Neo-Queen."  
No one had ever dared confront her on the issue so   
blatantly before. Her reaction was automatic. "He does NOT   
love the Neo-Queen! It's just a passing fascination!" she   
declared confidently, though she wasn't sure if she was trying   
to convince Saffir or herself.  
He lowered his eyes, the brilliant blue shaded by   
amazingly thick lashes. "I hope you're right, Esmeraude.   
God, I hope so," he said.  
Esmeraude almost dropped her fan in surprise. Looking at   
Saffir, she recognized that he was in pain. With a jolt of   
surprise, she realized that without Demando, he had nothing,   
just like her. She turned around to leave the room, but was   
stopped by Saffir's quiet voice. "Be careful, Esmeraude. The   
Wiseman is dangerous, and I wouldn't want to see you hurt."  
She spun around her, her long hair lifting off her   
shoulders as she whirled. "You sound like you care," she   
teased, though she was truly confused.  
He sniffed derisively. "I don't like you anymore then   
you like me. But you're my family, and now that Rubeus is   
dead, you and Demando are my only family. It shouldn't make a   
difference, but it does."  
She didn't know how to reply, so fell back into a laugh,   
though the laugh was noticeably weaker then usual. "Just make   
sure you have the wedges ready for me."  
"Have I ever not been ready before?" he asked somewhat   
bitterly, then returned to the computer.   
And he was. When he presented her with the first wedge,   
she was surprised that they were shaped like statues of her.   
She heartily approved of his good taste.  
Now there was a mirror in front of her. She fluffed her   
hair, preparing to admire herself. Esmeraude looked into the   
mirror, and then screamed. The reflection that stared back   
wasn't her own. It was that of a woman she had never actually   
seen in person, but this women had the greatest impact of almost   
anyone on Esmeraude's life- aside from Demando himself.  
The reflection that stared back was that of the ageless   
Neo-Queen Serenity, star of mystery. She smiled out sadly, and   
Esmeraude collapsed to her knees. "Wha-what?" she stuttered.  
The Queen pressed her palm against her side of the mirror,   
shaking her head. "I don't know. You're the one who brought   
me here, Esmeraude-san."  
"You know me?" Esmeraude asked, regaining some of her   
confidence.  
"You'll know me, or at least one of my incarnations,"   
Serenity answered. "It's all in the past, or the future,   
depending on how you view it,"" she said, biting her lip. "I   
never really understand time. I just trust Pluto to tell me   
what I need to know."  
Esmeraude rose to her feet, cocking her hip forward   
slightly, regaining her sexy posture. This woman was the   
person she hated most in the world. It simply wouldn't do to   
be less then her usual gorgeous and seductive self.  
The Neo-Queen was beautiful, by some people's standards.   
She was fair, almost as fair as Demando himself. She had long   
silver hair that was done up in a strange style. Her eyes,   
though, were a strange combination of innocence and wisdom,   
holding knowledge with faith. Esmeraude looked her over, and   
determined that the Queen's beauty was nothing compared to her   
own.   
"You really aren't that pretty," Esmeraude said bluntly.   
"You are an absolutely zero in the sex appeal department. You   
don't even have that much of a chest, and your fashion sense   
leaves something to be desired- I mean, white? It's not even   
the right time of year, and it does absolutely nothing for you.   
And darling, you need all the help you can get." Then she let   
loose that laugh, sending ripples of sound everywhere.  
Serenity blinked a few times in surprise, obviously at a   
loss for words. Her mouth moved soundlessly, trying to find   
something to say. "Endymion never has any complaints," she   
murmured finally, then looked at Esmeraude with keen eyes.   
"But that's not it. You'd rather be me then you. Why?"  
Esmeraude looked at her and knew she couldn't lie.   
"Because at least Demando thinks of you. How come he never   
notices the wonderful thing right under his nose?" she raged at   
the pure Queen.  
The Queen shrugged helplessly. "Men are like that. But   
my questions for you are simple. Why do you serve him so   
loyally? Why do you love him so much?"  
The words echoed in Esmeraude's hands, and she pressed her   
black-gloved hands against her skull, the fan finally slipping   
unnoticed to the floor. The Queen's words were exactly the   
same that Saffir had asked. Why do you serve him so loyally?   
Why do you love him so much?  
She looked into the mirror again, but this time, there was   
no reflection. Just darkness.... Her vision began to spin and   
that sensation of vertigo entered. She was falling forward,   
and there was no place she could land...  
Falling.... falling... fallingfallingfalling.....  
...and worse of all, there was no one to hear her screams.  
  
Esmeraude sat up in bed, a scream caught in her throat.   
There was a light sheen of perspiration on her skin, and she   
realized that she would have to shower immediately. She   
cursed, realizing it would take a good half-hour to get her hair   
restyled after getting it wet.  
There is a reason that the denizens of Nemesis hate sleep.   
For in sleep, they relive the past and view possible truths, and   
are forced to confront the grim reality of their lives.  
Esmeraude's reality was simple. It all came down to a few   
questions. Unfortunately, she didn't know what the answers   
were.  
Even at the moment of her death, Esmeraude never knew   
those elusive answers.   
  
THE END  
  
FEEDBACK!!!  
mbsilvana@yahoo.com  
  
This story isn't beta-d. Probably should be, but I actually   
like it too much- who would have thought?  
I like Esmeraude. This story is going out to all you fans of   
the Green Lady- especially people like elektra-chan (visit   
http://www.angelfire.com/ia/Esmeraude/ to understand why I say   
that).  
This fits into my VIRGO continuity ("Huh-what?" you say, but   
Quicksilver replies "Be patient".) Let me know if you loved or   
hated it, and also let me know if my symbolism caught you! This   
is the first time I wrote a piece that was truly "symbolic".  
My homesite:   
http://www.homestead.com/quicksilverslabyrinth/files/headpage.htm  
  



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